Goblins
Physiology Need to eat two to three times as much as humans do everyday. One two thirds of goblins are tiny, one third are small. Rows of shark like teeth that continuously grow throughout their lives. Personality Goblins are widely regarded to be the most wicked and vile creatures to be found on Aum and even many demons are disgusted by them. They are driven entirely by their pursuit of pleasure and they take great pleasure in the suffering of others. Empathy is not a trait that exists among goblins and they tend view it as some sort of sickness that afflicts other races. What can be called "Morality" among goblins is based almost entirely on fear of retribution. The typical goblin firmly believes that goblins are weak, idiotic, and lazy, though they believe that none of that applies to themselves. They have a powerful sense of self confidence and certainty in their every decision and action that some may actually consider to be admirable. Even so, goblins are extremely shortsighted, barely able to imagine what they will be doing what they will be doing the next hour, let alone the next month or year. They exist in a constant state of chaos and for this reason they tend to excel in the chaos of warfare. Their enemies can have trouble predicting their actions as they have no plans and their strategies lack any logical consistency. The few goblins that are able to "overcome" their nature are still quite selfish and often fall into one dimensional obsessions, often sinful ones. Goblins are heavily prone to addictions and are fond of taking risks no matter how awful the odds, making gambling one of their favorite past times. While goblins are not particularly clever, their fondness for fire, loud noises, and inflicting pain upon others combined with their complete disregard for life, including their own, has made them excellent developers of explosives and toxins. Society The only crimes recognized by goblin authorities are disobedience and treason. All other wrongdoings, whether they be as "minor" as theft or as atrocious as rape and murder, are left to the individual parties involved to resolve. Goblins unnaturally high metabolisms combined with the fact that poor planning is an inherent part of the goblin condition has made food shortages and famines an ever present reality for goblins. Cannibalism is deeply rooted into goblin culture and the flesh of Ib, especially that of gnomes, is considered a delicacy in goblin society. Goblintown is the capital of the goblins, home of the goblin king and the untold riches that the goblins have stolen from across the world. There are many portals and pathways that lead to goblintown, but they are only open at certain times and only goblins seem to know how to find them. The physical whereabouts of goblintown is unknown to all save for the goblin king himself, though rumors abound. Some say it is nestled deep in the roots of Yggdrasil and that the goblin king gluts himself on its sap. Others attest that it is far below the imperial palace, others still that it is on the opposite side of the world, and the strangest of folk believe that it is not of this world entirely and that it is on the moon instead. While all male Goblins will claim that the true ruler of the Goblins is the Goblin King, there is no conclusive evidence that such a being does or has ever existed; it is theorized that this myth of a Goblin King is part of a cultural coping method. Goblin Society is effectively matriarchal and all positions of power that are not held by other races of Ib are all held by females. Goblins do have a system somewhat reminiscent of marriage known to them as “drudgery,” however, the females hold all power in such “marital” unions and husbands tend to avoid their wives as much as possible. Fathers will very rarely willingly return to their homes if they believe that their children are in danger, but most care only about their own safety and us such will abandon their children to their mother’s fickle wills and only come home if they themselves are in danger of their wive’s retaliation for their failure to perform their marital duties. It should also be noted that wives are the ones who choose their husbands, who are often unable to refuse, and while husbands are traditionally bound to their wives and cannot leave their unions, wives are free to divorce at will. This system of drudgery has led to an interesting development among male goblins and their culture in that it is viewed as best for them to be as ugly and as otherwise repulsive as possible in order to avoid being selected as husbands for more powerful and domineering females. Formal organization among goblins is scarce, but generally individual areas have local warlords who rule by the philosophy of "might makes right." Most often these overlords are Hobgoblins who came to Goblin lands in order to make a name for themselves through proving that they can successfully command and rule over one of the most chaotic forces in all of Aum. Development Goblins are born in litters of four to eight. Their babies enter the world more developed than those of most Ib, able to crawl on their own mere moments upon leaving the womb, and crawl they must to survive. A Goblin mother is filled with a powerful craving for flesh upon giving birth and will snatch up one or two of her slower newborns. This behavior is actually highly encouraged among goblins as they see it as a method for culling the weak and reducing the number of mouths they must feed. However, infant memories of this event and witnessing their new brothers and sisters being consumed every time their mother gives birth, which typically happens once every two months, leaves young goblins emotionally scarred and terrified of females. Due to absenteeism from their fathers, it is often the responsibility of Hobgoblins overlords to defend Goblin children from their mothers during times that they are vulnerable, giving young Goblins an affinity for being ruled by other races. Life expectancy of 20 years Wilder Goblins Wilder Goblins, also known as tribal goblins, are the subspecies of goblins that generally do not associate themselves with greater goblin society. This includes: Forest Goblins Tropical Goblins Savannah Goblins Mountain Goblins Cave Goblins Sewer Goblins City Goblins* (More Clever and Greedy)